Assembling mechanism for can bodies and heads.



J. A. 'GRAY. ASSEMBLING MEOHANISMTOR 01m BODIES AND HEADS.

' APPLICATION FILED APR. 26, 1910. 994,456.

2 SHBETSSHEET l.

Patented June 6, 1911.

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Patented June 6, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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JAMES ALFRED GR AY, OF SAN"FR,ANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ASSEMBLING MECHANISM FOR CAN BODIES AND HEADS.

Be it known that I, JAMES A. GRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Assembling Mechanism for Can Bodies and Heads, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for feeding can heads to be assembled with the can bodies, my object being to provide a feeding mechanism which will depend upon the presence of the can body in" controlling the feed of-the head to be assembled therewith, that is to say, as long as the can bodies are fed to the chuck in proper order and time, the heads to'be assembled with these bodies will also be fed to the chuck; but when, for any reason, the feed of thecan bodies be comes irregular or ceases, the feed of the heads will also be arrested. I

The invention consists in the features and combination and arrangement of parts here inafter described and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of a chuck for assembling the heads and bodies of cans with my feeding mechanism in connection therewith; Fig. 2 is a detail View of a stack of can heads with the devices directly adjacent thereto in sec tion, which devices form parts of the feeding mechanism; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View through the feeding mechanism and the chuck with parts in elevation; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the crimping dies for uniting the head and can body, this view showing one part of the die moved inwardly and the other in its outermost position; Fig. 5 is a detail view of one-of the -plungers for operating the dies.

In these drawings, 1 indicates a chuck having a recess or opening at 2 of substanthe can head, said in its lower portion,

chuck having mounted,

ental form, as shown die members 3 of segm these, and each being adapted to move radially in relation to the 4 indicates a vertically'movable plunger or head having its lower face shaped to conform at 5 to the shape of the can head, and 6 indicates a vertically movable plunger or carrier for the can body, which is shown in position thereon at 7. The cans Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed April 26, 1910. Serial No. 557,723.

These can heads preferably four of center of the chuck.

Patented June 6, 1911.

the plunger or are fed into position over down, and then carrier 6 when the latter is the plunger or carrier rises to move the body, and then by a downward movement of plunger 4 the outer flange of the can head reed over the flaredflange of the can body and coming in contact with the beveled edge of the members 3 is forced inwardly under he flange of the can body.

are introduced into the chuck from a Way or opening9' at one side thereof,fand for this purpose I-employ a over the edge of the can thrust plate or feeder 10' moving on guide- I ways 11 extending out from the chuck, the said thrust plate being reciprocated in the guides through. any suitable connection, a portion of which is pivotally connected to the thrust plate at 13. The can heads are arranged in a stack or pile at 14, the lowermost one resting upon movable supporting members 15,. one on each side of the guldeway, and in the form of arms pivoted at the points 16 to the guide .frame or bracket, and connected together at 17 by a pin and slot. These supports are operated to and from the position shown s of a link 17 connected with a controller lever or arm 18 by a pivot at 19, the said controller lever being pivotally mounted at 20 and having a curved end in the path of the can body 7 on its way to the" ehuck. On each side of the guideway I employ an arm or retainer 21 pivotally mounted on the guideway frame at 22, and each having a roller 23 on its forwardly extending arm to be engaged by the side edge of the thrust plate or feeder 10, which side edge, at the front and rear corners. The retainers 21 have arc-shaped jaws which are serrated and are curved to conform to the periphery of the heads.

in Fig. 1' bymean it will be noticed, is curved shown at 12 in Fig. 3

The supports 15 arein the same plane, as

ing upon these supports, the thrust plate these arms toward each other into position or feeder 10 can move freely back and forth 1 the thrust plate so long as no can body is fed without eflecting any feed of the lowermost to the chuck, but when a can body arrives head, as this will be held just above the at the chuck, the lowermost can head will plane of movement of the thrust plate. This 1 be allowed to fall into the plane of moveeffect will be maintained so long as no can I ment of bodies arrive at the chuck or to the position by into the chuck, and, at the same time, shown in Fig. 1, but when a can body does the next can head above the one which has reach this position as a result of the action just fallen down to be fed in, will be gripped of the carrier mechanism for the bodies, the by the retainers 21, and thus the whole stack said body will press the controller lever 18 l of can heads will be supported while the to one side, and this movement will be conthrust plate is performing" its function. I

veyed through the link 17 to the supporting. prefer to operate the crimping die segments arms 15, and these supporting arms will be by vertically movable rods 26 disposed at retracted or spread apart from the position different points about the crimping die segshown in Fig. 1, and thus the lowermost can ments, as shown in Fig. 1, and having inhead of the pile will be allowed to drop clines to engage the-die segments for forcing down into the plane of movement of the them inwardly.

thrust plate, and on the forward movement I claim as my invention 2-- of this plate the can head will be moved into 1. In combination with a chuck, a'reciprothe chuck to be positioned by the plunger 1 in proper relation to the can body for the crimping action of the dies. The forward movement of the thrust plate will also result in spreading the forward arms of the retainers 21, and causing their serrated areshaped arms to grip the next to the lowest can head to hold this, together with the pile or stack of can heads, against falling down while the thrust plate is performing its function, and this supporting effect of the stack or pile of can'heads will be maintained so long as the thrust block or plate is in its forward movement for delivering i the can head to the chuck the stack resting on the plate itself after it releases the roller 23. After the can head passes into the chuck, the spring 24 connecting the supporting cating feed member for can heads, a palr of movably mounted supporting arms for the can heads, controlling means therefor, operated by the can body on its way to .the chuck, a pair of retaining arms to grip the periphery of the next tothe lowest can head, and means for operating the said retainers, susbtantially as described.

2. In combination with a chuck, a reciprocating feed member for can heads, a pair of movably mounted supporting arms for the can heads, controlling means therefor, operated by the can body on its way to the chuck, a pair of retaining arms to grip the periphery .of the next to the lowest can head, and means foroperating the said retainers, said means consisting of the reciprocating feeder, substantially as described.

3. In combination with a chuck, a reciprocating feeder, a pair of supporting arms movably mounted, a pair of retaining arms pivotally mounted, a controlling means operated by the passage of the can body for controlling the supporting arms, the said retaining arms being operated by the reciparms 15 will exert its force, and thus draw to support the lowermost can head, and when the thrust plate recedes, the retainer arms 21, under the action of the spring 25 connecting them, will be separated so that then the lowermost can head of the stack will be free to fall downwardly into the rocating feeder, substantially as described. plane of the thrust plate as soon as the 'In testimony whereof,I affix my signature supporting members 15 are again separated in presence of two witnesses.

or withdrawn from beneath the lowermost JAMES ALFRED GRAY.

can head. It will thus be seen that I pro- Witnesses: vide means for supportingthe whole stack F. W. WEST,

WILSON LYFoRn;

of can heads above the path of movement of the thrust plate to be carried there- 

